Some medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems allow a user to capture images for later playback and review. In particular, some ultrasound systems allow the user to capture a full-size, multi-frame ultrasound image (or xe2x80x9cclipxe2x80x9d) for later playback and review. Some ultrasound systems allow a user to capture a quarter-size clip instead of the entire full-size clip. The user can play back the captured quarter-size clip in a quad-screen format to compare the captured quarter-size clip with other quarter-size clips. To capture a quarter-size clip, a user moves a quarter-size region of interest (xe2x80x9cROIxe2x80x9d) indicator (e.g., a highlighted box edge) over a displayed full-size image during image acquisition. Only the portion of the image bounded by the ROI indicator is captured, and only the captured portion of the full-size image can be played back during image review. If the user wishes to view a different portion of the image, the user must acquire another ultrasound image of the patient and repeat the above steps with the ROI indicator in the desired position.
The Cypress Echocardiography System by Acuson, a Siemens Company, offers a feature that reduces the need to re-acquire an ultrasound image. In the Cypress system, a user can store a full-size image clip in a temporary scrolling memory. If the user is not satisfied with where he positioned the quarter-size ROI indicator during image acquisition, the user can play back the full-size image clip from the temporary scrolling memory and reposition the ROI indicator. The full-size image clip can be transferred from the temporary scrolling memory to a magneto-optical disc and later loaded from the magneto-optical disc onto the same or different Cypress system to allow a user to later reposition the ROI indicator and capture a different quarter-size clip. However, because the full-size image clip is stored in the temporary scrolling memory and in the magneto-optical disc in a proprietary, hardware-dependent, pre-scan-converted format, the ability to reposition the ROI indicator can only be performed by systems that read that format.
The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims.
By way of introduction, the embodiments described below provide a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and method for displaying a portion of an ultrasound image. In one embodiment, a region of interest indictor is positioned over a first portion of an ultrasound image, and the first portion and at least some other portion of the ultrasound image are saved in a post-scan-converted format. The stored ultrasound image is played, and a region of interest indicator is positioned over a second portion of the played ultrasound image. The second portion is then played. In another embodiment, an ultrasound image is stored in a post-scan-converted format. The ultrasound image is played, and a region of interest indicator is positioned over a portion of the ultrasound image. The portion is then played. In yet another embodiment, a user requests storage of a multi-frame ultrasound image for a first length of time. The ultrasound system instead stores the multi-frame ultrasound image for a second length of time, which is longer than the first length of time. The same or different user can later request to play the multi-frame ultrasound image for a time other than that originally requested. Other embodiments are provided, and each of the embodiments described herein can be used alone or in combination with one another.